Description

At the helm of 13 & God’s self-titled debut album are two schools of thought: the balloon-and-burst child psychology of Adam “doseone” Drucker, Jeffery “jel” Logan, and Dax Pierson (collectively themselves) on one hand, and the pinhole- in-paper astronomy of the Acher brothers Markus and Micha, and Martin “Console” Gretschmann (the core of The Notwist) on the other. Notwist drummer Martin Messerschmid and guitarist Max Punktezahl each lend their skills to production, Steffi BÃ¶hm of Ms. John Soda and Valerie Trebeljahr of Lali Puna sing on several tracks, and anticon’s why? and pedestrian (among others) also make cameos. This half-dozen-plus form a transcontinental supergroup of very human proportions: American angst and honest ability, German composition and countryside chill, and the simple recurring universal urge to locate oneself within the folds of time and place. Drucker and Markus Acher trade words that evoke the blind earnestness of youth, and then chronicle its gradual leaching out by the loss of luck and the sink of realization and all shooting stars, Superman stride, climbing bills and death-by-routine. This is a monumental record, the next step in the evolution of something bigger than anything we’re used to. The Notwist players bring an ear for gorgeous rockâ€¢pop arrangement and taste for dubby glitch, while themselves grin toothy darkness and breathe electro-rap experimentalism. Such seemingly disparate sounds combine into something truly cohesive, wholly unique, and deeply visceral.